Second Wind (Kakashi Fanfic)
by brightbluesky77
Summary: Tsugie has a crush on Kakashi ever since he had saved her. However, Kakashi had already formed a barrier since the death of his family, teammates and mentor. During one of her missions, she encountered Enzai, the organization that drove Kakashi's father to his death. She believes that the downfall of this organization might be the key to giving Kakashi a new life, a second wind.
1. Chapter 1

"Are you sure about this, Tsugie?" Sandaime asked as he removed his hat and placed it on his table stacked with documents and paperwork.

"Yes, Sandaime. This was from a reliable source," I said as I lowered my head, keeping my knee on the floor as firm as possible. I was nervous since it's been a while I was in the Hokage's office.

Sandaime kept quiet for a moment and took a deep sip from his tobacco pipe and breathed out the smoke into the air. His head faced upwards towards the ceiling, digesting the information that I have just shared with him with his eyes closed.

As though he has made up his mind, his eyes fluttered open. He shifted in his chair and looked behind me. "Kotetsu!" he shouted and the door swung lightly behind me as one of Chuunins entered the room. "Summon Kakashi here immediately."

"Yes, Sandaime," Kotetsu saluted and closed the door behind him.

"Tsugie, please stand up," Sandaime said as he swirled his chair around with its back facing me and looked out the windows, taking in Konoha Village as I got up from the floor. "This may break him, you know?"

"Yes, sir. But I believe he has the right to know about this." I answered and took a step closer to his table. "I don't think we should keep this away from him since it's related to his-."

"I know. I know." Sandaime cut me off as he turned around and gazed at my report on the table. "It's just… He's been through too much and I am not sure if he can handle this."

I looked down at my feet and my mind spun with all the possibilities on what will happen once Kakashi heard about this intel. Will he take on this mission or walk away?

Right then, there was a knock on the door. "Enter," Sandaime said as he adjusted himself on the chair. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. I can already felt his presence in the room. It has been like this ever since that day. He took his place next to me and I glanced sideways at him.

My heartbeat quickened even though we were practically a foot apart but he still has the same effect on me. It's been three years since I last saw him and he hasn't changed much.

He has become taller and his muscle is lean and tight. His spiky, silver hair was, as usual, standing upright as it was held in place thanks to the ninja headgear while covering his left eye. I wondered what will it look like if he ever removes his headgear. Will his hair fall over his face or it would still be upright? He's dressed in the ANBU gear similar to mine, except without the mask. His eyes were cold and emotionless.

"You asked for me, Sandaime? How can I assist you?" Kakashi asked coolly. He didn't even look at me in whatsoever ways as his eye fixed on Sandaime.

"Yes, I did. There's a reason why I have summoned you here," Sandaime said as he nodded towards my direction. "This is one of the ANBUs sent out for an infiltration mission and has just returned to Konoha. She managed to stop the organization that was trying to take over the Village of Tori."

Kakashi didn't say anything and Sandaime continued. "During the mission, she got hold of certain information that we believe you should know about." Sandaime handed my report to Kakashi and he approached the table promptly. As he flipped open the report, his eye widened and I could have sworn his hands trembled a little.

He stood still in complete silence as we gave him time to look through the report. Once he was done, he looked up at me for a moment before turning his attention back on Sandaime.

"What is this?" he asked as he held the file in his hand.

"This is the information related to the organization, Enzai that Hatake Sakumo had pursued during his last mission," Sandaime answered. "She found intel and leads that can track down the head of the organization, Fuzen."

He paused for a few seconds as he allowed Kakashi to fully absorb the information. "There will be a mission assigned to apprehend Fuzen and stop Enzai that is currently plotting on attacking the Village of Sora. However, as this mission is related to your father, Tsugie was wondering if you would accept this mission and track them down with her."

"Tsugie?" asked Kakashi as he faced me and locked his eye with my eyes. Although my ANBU mask was on but it felt as though he can see right through me. I felt uneasy as I fidgeted slightly in my place.

My hand enclosed the mask and took it off while Kakashi remained impassive. I couldn't read his emotion since his face is practically covered up and the only part exposed on his face was his eye that continued to observe me with an expression I couldn't quite explain. Was it conflict? Rage? Or hate?

I did my best to ignore the intense gaze. I decided to explain the mission and situation to get the anxiety off. "The enemy is currently residing in a stronghold in the east that are three days away from Konoha Village. There's no exact pinpoint of the location yet because they are apparently hiding the stronghold in mist. My scouts told me that they are preparing to invade the Village of Sora in a week's time. If we move out tomorrow, we may be able to find the stronghold and intercept them in time."

We kept our eyes on each other but Kakashi was the one that broke off the eye contact as he set down the report on the table. "There's no we. I am not doing it," he said and he walked away from Sandaime's desk, standing further away from me.

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed in astonishment.

"I'm not taking this mission," he replied in a flat tone.

"Hey, that's your father we're talking about here. Don't you want to catch the man that's responsible for your father-"

Kakashi glared at me strictly and my mouth shut instinctively. "I don't think it's any of your business. He's not your father so stay out of it. It's still my right to accept or reject a mission if I want to. You might have forgotten since you've been gone for a while. Unless it's a strict order from the Sandaime, only then I'll have to accept it. Get your facts and priorities straight before standing up to me."

I didn't like what I heard so I opened my mouth to press him but Sandaime's voice rang across the room. "If that's what you wish, I won't force you but we think you should really think this through."

"There's nothing to think about, Sandaime. I'm not taking it. You can maybe ask some other ANBUs. Take Kinoe if you want. I'm sure he can help her."

"Kakashi, are you sure about this?" Sandaime asked again.

"Yes, Sandaime. I've another mission assigned already and will be taking off later this evening. You know that my team will not take on two missions at a time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll need to prepare."

"Ka-," I started but he was already turning away and walking out of the room. I spun around to Sandaime. "Sandaime..."

"I know what you want to say but this is Kakashi's decision. We have no right to force him."

"But..."

"Let it go, Tsugie. Focus on your mission now. It could be for the best. The darkness in him is too strong. There could be a possibility that this mission can drive him to the edge."

"I don't agree. I believe that it can give him closure. It might be a good chance to drag him to the light, back to us. Do you not care about him?" I snapped. Then I realized who I was talking to. I quickly bowed my head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sandaime. I got out of line."

"No, it's okay, Tsugie," Sandaime said kindly as he got out of his seat and strode towards me. My heart ached, looking at Sandaime. He looked fragile and old. He should have retired a long time ago. If only Minato-sensei is still here, things would be different. Sandaime glanced up at me. "I know you care about him. I understand your feelings."

I blushed and looked aside. Of course he knows. Everyone knows. Well, except Kakashi himself. He's still oblivious about me.

I am worried about him. He's not in a good state. I want to help him. He's lost too much. First his mother, his father, Obito, Rin and then Minato sensei. It isn't fair. Why is this happening to him?

Determination rose in me. I'm not giving up on him. I'm sure there's a way to pull him back. I want him to be the kid that I've met years ago. The strong, confident and kind person. The boy that was always smiling behind the mask. The boy that saved me.

"Sandaime, I hope you can grant me permission."

Sandaime looked at me curiously. "What is it?"

...

I crouched on the top of a tree just outside the front gate entrance with a bag pack slung over my shoulder. Within an hour, I've replenished my equipment and food. Now, I just need to wait.

I noticed a familiar figure with silver hair approaching the entrance from the distance. Kakashi. He walked calmly with his head glancing on the floor instead of focusing ahead even though the street was filled with villagers. I can actually feel that his shoulders were heavy as though they were burdened by the surroundings and universe itself.

Suddenly, I saw another figure emerged out of nowhere and slung his arm around Kakashi. The green shirt and mushroom hair gave away his identity immediately. It was Guy. It's been a while since I last saw him.

Just like Kakashi, he's gotten taller and with a bigger build. Looking at how he was bugging Kakashi, he hasn't changed at all. He's still keeping up the years of rivalry, isn't he? I wonder if Kakashi didn't have to endure all those pain, would he still be laughing with the gang? Accepting challenges from Guy? Talking to me?

My heart clenched at the sight of him. I just want to rush over, hug him and let him know that I'll be by his side no matter what. But he doesn't need me. He needs Rin. Even after his father and Obito were gone, with Rin around, there was still life in him. Like he had a purpose. But now, he's lost. A pang of jealousy hit me and immediately, I hate myself for feeling this way.

Tsugie, are you seriously comparing yourself to his dear friend? What's the matter with you?

I shook my head and refocus my attention back to Kakashi. He shrugged off Guy and continued to move towards the entrance. Guy stood there with disappointment as he watched his friend walked away.

Kakashi passed through the entrance and immediately, he jumped onto a tree nearby and began moving from one tree to the next. I counted to ten and ran behind him.

My movement was fast and quiet, hoping he wouldn't notice me. He was way up ahead but luckily, his silver hair stood out amongst the green leaves and brown branches so I was able to catch up to him and not lose sight of him.

I followed him as I jumped from one tree to the next tree. I heard a sound of rustling leaves coming from below and my eyes snapped towards the direction. Nothing.

Damn it. Why did I look away?

I glanced back to the front but Kakashi was gone. I picked up my pace and search for the silver hair. But there wasn't any luck. I've lost him.

I stopped on one of the tree branches. Maybe I should summon for Sei. He can track Kakashi with just a sniff easily. I bit my finger and sweetness flooded in my mouth. The blood flow from my finger and I weaved my Summoning Jutsu sign. Just as I was about to slam my hand onto the surface, I felt a sharp point on my neck. It was a kunai. My hand left dangling in the air as the blood dripped onto the branch I was on.

"What do you want from me?" the voice was muffled but I knew who it was.

"Hokage-sama sent me to accompany you on this mission," I replied cautiously.

"Why?" Kakashi asked. "This is a solo mission."

"I don't know. I'm just following order," I said as I reached for my small pack around my waist. The kunai drove a little deeper into my neck and I tensed. "Calm down, I'm just showing you the order given by Sandaime."

He didn't reply and his kunai stayed on. I assumed he wasn't going to cut me so I continued to rummage my pack and before long, I pulled out a scroll. I spread it open slowly and held it close enough for Kakashi to see.

I could feel his face inched closer to my face to have a better look. I glanced sideways at Kakashi but all I saw was his ANBU fox mask, gazing intently at the scroll. His face was way too close to mine and I can feel his warm breath on my neck. I find myself blushing and had the urge to shift from him but I was scared that the kunai might end up cutting me instead. So I stayed still and held my breath for what seems to feel like an eternity.

Finally, he released his hold on me and my neck was free. He stood up beside me and looked to the front.

"Don't fall behind," he muttered and without waiting for a reply, he lunged forward to the next branch.

I got up, braced myself and followed him.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm serious. That's what I heard!" Azuma exclaimed as all of us huddled in a circle just outside the Forest of Death.

"Come on, that's a huge lie, right? Right?" muttered Rim timidly.

"Don't worry, Rin. I'm here for you," Obito said as he crept closer to Rin. "I am, after all, the man that shall become a Hokage."

"Here we go again," Genma rolled his eyes.

Instead of accepting Obito's offer, Rin moved closer to Kakashi that was just listening in silence. Obito's shoulder sagged in disappointment.

"Come on! This is our youth! We'll never be young like this again," Guy said excitedly.

Kurenai that was standing beside me stepped into the circle and leaned into Azuma's face. He stumbled backward and blushed. "You're telling us that if we go into the forbidden forest, we can actually find the Grave of Thousand Years? And if we pray to this grave, our loved ones will take the form of a ghost and talk to us?"

"Yeah. I was passing by my father's room and heard one of the Chuunins reporting to him," replied Azuma as he stood upright. "A woman heard his husband calling for him."

"Well, I don't believe it," Genma said. "It could actually be some owl hooting into the night."

"Then, shouldn't we be solving this mystery? If we can solve it, we might be able to become Genins without undergoing the tests."

Rin fidgeted in place and looked uncomfortable. "We're not allowed to go inside. It's forbidden for a reason. We should just go home."

"Yeah, Rin's right. Hey, why don't I walk with you?" Obito directed the question at her.

"Let's all go home together," Rin said as her eyes swept through all of us and landed on Kakashi last.

"I think we should go into the forest!" Guy cheered.

The rest of them continued to debate but I kept quiet. Is it a good idea to go there? Slowly, my friends' voices drowned as I took in the surrounding.

The sky was high and nigh. It's been a while since I've looked up into the dark and clouded sky. No moon, no stars. I turned my focus on the Forest of Death. We've heard all the scary rumours that have happened in the forest while growing up. Monsters, demons and ghosts roamed freely in it. People losing their memories, went missing or found dead. The adults have told us repeatedly to never go in there under any circumstances.

The Hokage put a restriction of entering into this cursed forest so no one has ever stepped foot into it for 12 years. But there are still a few that broke the rule. They didn't want to risk any casualties by sending our shinobi in. Hokage went in once and came out unharmed but he said he could sense something evil in there. He couldn't find the source so he resorted to putting a restriction to the forest.

My mind was filled with scary images of the forest. The wind blew eerily and my hair stood on its end. As my attention sank deeper into the forest, my heart tugged inside me and it felt like the forest was drawing me to it. The memory of Kana slipped into my mind. She was gone for two years and even though the pain of living without her had subsided, I still miss her.

I wondered if I do go into the Forest of Death, will I be able to see her and talk to her? If what Azuma said was true, I might really be able to meet her once more. It was tempting.

Suddenly, I felt a heavy gaze on me and I was back to my friends as they continued their bicker. My eyes scanned them, trying to figure whose gaze it was and my eyes end up locking with Kakashi's.

He didn't break the eye contact as he observed me in silence. I've never spoken to him before even though we had the same friends and from the same class. I've heard a lot about him though. He's gifted to become a ninja. He was good with ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu. For his age, he had accomplished many and was already elected for the Genin test. The rest of us didn't qualify, of course. The other day, he beat up some adults with knives when they bothered an old man's store.

I heard his mum passed away when he was little but luckily, his father is still here to take care of him. I've seen his father before when he picked up Kakashi at the playground. He looked like a kind man. My father respected Hatake Sakumo and said that man has saved his life lots of times during their missions. Come to think of it, my father will be heading off to another mission soon.

Kakashi's gaze was intense and I broke off the contact. It felt uncomfortable and awkward. My line of sight now focused on Azuma and Kurenai. But I can still feel the gaze on me. And this time, it felt like there was more than one.

"Fine, fine. Let's go home then," Azuma said and threw his hands up in the air. "Spoilsport."

"What did you just call me?" Kurenai frowned.

"Nothing! I said nothing! Let's go, let's go!" Azuma said and he heads towards Konoha Village. One by one, everyone followed his steps. Genma, Guy, Kakashi, Rin and then Obito.

"Come on, Tsugie," Kurenai said kindly and I nodded. She led the way and I walked behind her.

"Tsugie," a soft voice from behind called my name. I turned around and all I could see was the entrance of the Forest of Death. Was I imagining it?

I was about to walk away but stopped when the voice called me again and this time, I felt a warm breath down my neck.

I whipped around but again, nothing. My heart was beating like crazy and all I wanted to do was to run to my friends but my body froze to the ground.

"Tsugie," the voice again. It felt familiar. It was a tone that I've never heard for two years. It was Kana's. A black silhouette formed at the entrance and I wanted to scream. But the scream was caught in my throat and all I could do is stare. The silhouette reached out its arm as though it needs help. I felt the urge to run there and grasp the hand.

Suddenly, the black figure disappeared in the distance and reappeared in front of my face. I didn't know who it was and before I could react, it let out a shrill voice with its mouth open wide.

"TSUGIE!"

I woke up with a start and whipped my head around. My breath was heavy. I was surrounded by the dark forest. The sky filled with stars and the moon was bright so I could still see my surroundings. The wind was silent and calm. Kakashi was sitting with his back up on a tree opposite of me.

It was just a dream. Damn. It's been a while since I've had a nightmare.

I turned my attention back to Kakashi. His face was covered with his ANBU fox mask. Only his eyes were revealed but they were closed. I suspect he wasn't sleeping. He could just be ignoring my presence. He's still mad after all. I was practically barging into his mission.

"How much longer?" I asked softly.

He didn't reply. I know he has a keen hearing so I tried again and even softer. "How much longer till they pass?"

"Soon," he muttered, clearly in a bad mood.

It's about time. I reached for my battle gear and do one more check. Everything's in place. I got up from where I was sitting on and jumped up to the tallest tree in the zone. I looked out to the long narrow road surrounded by trees. No one in sight. Kakashi stayed in place and his eyes remained closed.

"What's the plan?" I asked as I looked at the empty road.

"We wait," he replied with a flat tone.

"I think it's better that we go in with a plan."

"It's just one target."

"That doesn't mean you should let your guard down."

"We don't need a plan."

"I think you should reconsider this."

"I think you shouldn't have come," he snapped.

I bit my lips to refrain from throwing an insult at him. Okay, okay. I need to pace myself. If I want him for the next few days, I need to pull this off. I need to... reconnect with him.

"Okay, we'll go with your plan," I said gently, forcing a smile.

"There's no plan," he mumbled.

There was a sound that was coming from the far side of the road from the right. Kakashi stood up on the branch and his hand laid on the surface of the tree trunk, keeping an eye on the origin of the sound.

It became louder and nearer. The sounds of walking footsteps. Emerged on the empty road were a few figures, walking warily. Four of them stood in a circle around one man. The man was dressed in white and clearly stood out among the rest. The others were dressed in black and had a mask covering their mouth and nose.

I wasn't sure what this mission is really about. I hijacked the mission just to get close to Kakashi. All I knew about this mission is that it was an assassination. After all, we're ANBUs.

I could feel spiking energy in the air. Without me noticing, Kakashi had already weaved his jutsu and summoned his famous move, Raikiri. Without saying anything, he just dived right to the ground lighting fast. He maneuvered through the forest, running towards the target. Swift and quiet.

I quickly make a move to catch up to him. I decided to stay above ground and jumped from tree to tree. By the time I've reached the target, two men laid on the ground. Dead. There was a hole on each of their chests. Kakashi must have driven his hand right through them. His finishing move, huh?

I've never seen it in real life but I've heard of the stories. How strong it was. How unique it was. How deadly it was. Raikiri's energy was still filling the air and I could feel static on my skins.

Two of the masked man surrounded him with a sword in their hands. I braced myself and leaped into the air. I grabbed my shuriken from my waist and flung to the masked guy closer to me. He felt my presence and immediately used his sword to deflect the incoming weapon. He got into an attacking stance but my leg was already flying towards him so he couldn't react in time. I kicked him in his face and he fell down, spiraling onto the ground. Unconscious.

Kakashi had already released his jutsu and doing well with just a kunai, deflecting all the sword attacks. With that under control, I shifted my target on the man in white. He trembled and tried to scurried away in fear but he ended up tripping on a branch and fell on his butt.

Kakashi knocked the last masked man with his arm and stabbed the man's head with a kunai. Both of us approached the man in white.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this? Please! Stop! I have a family!" he begged. He got on his knees and rubbed his hand repeatedly. "I'm begging you. Please!"

Kakashi was already weaving his jutsu and his hand was once more lit up with Raikiri. I observed in silence.

"Please, please don't kill me," he moaned. He had tears in his eyes. "I'll give you anything. Anything you want. Tell me how much Ryo you want, I'll give it to you. Please."

Kakashi lifted his lighting hand in the air and he thrust it down straight through the man's chest and pulled out. I didn't look away. The man's mouth was gaped open and he fell down to the ground, landing on his face. Dead.

"That's it?" I asked.

He shook his head and grabbed the kunai by his waist and walked past me. He strode towards the masked man that I attacked earlier. He was still breathing, still alive.

"Hey, he's no longer a harm. His employer is dead. No point in killing him." I said as my hand reached out to stop Kakashi.

He glared at me and my hand was left hanging in the air.

"No loose ends," he replied as he stood over the masked man. He got down on one knee and plunged the kunai into the man's neck. Blood spurt over the ground as Kakashi pulled his kunai out. The man's dead.

Kakashi took out a white, worn-out cloth and wiped the blood off his weapon and sheathed it back to his waist.

It wasn't a pretty sight. In just a mere few minutes, five lives were taken. I gave a silent prayer to them. It was an unfitting act for an ANBU to be sympathizing the people we were set to kill. Kakashi was, however, an example of a true ANBU. He does whatever it takes to complete a mission. Silently, relentlessly and perfectly.

My heart ached. He used to be warm, kind and just. Now he's cold, emotionless and merciless.

Kakashi.

His eyes were hard. Now that I'm looking at his face closer, his Sharingan eye was as red as fresh blood and bright. Everyone knows about the Sharingan user and it is right to fear it.

Obito gave it to him.

He turned his back at me and walked towards the direction of Konoha Village. I reached for my pack and took out a light scroll. I hesitated for a moment and stared at the scroll that might change his life.

Is it right? Should I really do it? I glanced at his cold back as he walked away from me. The distance between us was getting wider and he was getting out of my reach. Not just the physical distance but the connection between us. I gripped the scroll tight in my hand.

I don't want to lose him.

"Kakashi," I called out and as he turned around, I threw the scroll to him. He caught it easily with his right hand before it hit his face.

"You've got another order."


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was bright and hot. Even with the trees shielding us, I can still feel the sun burning through my face. We ran through the forest at a fast rate from trees to trees, leaping from one branch to another. I was taking the lead to the destination. Just one more day.

I glanced over my shoulder to the right. Kakashi ran behind and stayed away from me. He didn't even look at me once since our conversation after the last mission.

I thought back to two days ago. The wind was silent. Five lifeless bodies laid around me. The stench of blood was strong and filled the air. Wolves were howling to the moon. Kakashi looked at the scroll in his hand. He opened it and his eyes scanned through them.

I knew what was in the scroll. Unlike the normal shinobi mission, ANBU mission focuses on assassination, escort, infiltration, tracking, surveillance and interrogation. In the mission scroll for ANBU, it will normally have the Hokage stamp, signature and basic information of the mission. The scroll's length extends from the thumb to the index finger and has green lining cloth protecting the paper inside with a black string tied to keep the scroll in place.

In this case, the scroll in Kakashi's hand was different from any other scrolls we had. It has red cloth and white string. This is the scroll that was known as the Absolute scroll that contains a strict order to act according to Hokage's request no matter how dangerous it is including killing ourselves. We can't reject, fight or go against the order.

In the history of ANBU, this scroll has been used numerous times to do all the dirty and cruel works that no one would take. It was considered a last resort but since Sandaime's reign, the scroll was not used much. In fact, it has been 20 years since we last heard of it.

Kakashi read the scroll for quite a while before locking his eyes with mine in silence. I could feel his reluctance and my fear was rising but I managed to hide it. Without a word, the scroll in his hand burned into nothing. Normally we were supposed to keep the scrolls but he might have been pissed off or there's some protocol related to the Absolute scroll that I was not aware of.

His eyes stared into mine and said only one word, "Where?"

"Village of Sora," I replied.

Back to reality, he's with me now. We've been running for two days with only a few short breaks in between. We'll take turns to keep a lookout while the other rests and didn't need to convene who should be on standby. We just know.

I've also shared my food portion with him as he didn't pack any since his one-day mission was extended. During our first break, I laid my food on the ground with a cloth underneath as I bit on the dry jerky. I'll then wrap the remaining and flung it upwards to Kakashi on the tree. He would catch it and without saying anything, he'll eat the food. I was just glad he was willing to accept what I gave.

The problem was I didn't pack enough so by now, I was already eating soldier pills. It wasn't enough but at least it can keep my chakra up and most importantly, stop the stomach grumbling. I popped one soldier pill into my mouth and threw the case with the remaining pills to Kakashi.

Okay, one thing to point out. The whole time we ate, he would just stay on top of a tree, out of sight. So I have never been able to see him remove his mask and I'm not just talking about the ANBU one. It's the mask underneath that covers his nose and mouth. So I was really curious and wondered could this be the day that Kakashi revealed his mysterious face.

Once he received the incoming case in his hand, he looked at it but kept his legs running. I quickly looked to the front and stole sideways glances to not make him feel uncomfortable about unmasking his face. I felt nervous and excited at the same time.

He raised the case to his eye level and peered at it. Instead of opening the case, he threw it away to the side. I heard the sound of breaking glasses. My mouth gaped open and I stopped on track.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" I shouted.

Kakashi ran past me and didn't look back. Searching for those soldier pills will just delay our time and I'm sure it's already covered in dirt. I sighed and my eyes burned into the back of Kakashi.

I grumbled and caught up to him as I ran alongside him. "Kakashi!"

He just kept moving with lazy eyes focusing on the front.

"Kakashi!" I shouted again furiously. Those soldier pills cost me a fortune. "Why did you throw away my soldier pills? Those were our food for the day."

He mumbled something I couldn't quite catch.

"What?" I asked furiously.

"Girls shouldn't be eating too many soldier pills," he said softly.

I felt a tinge of concern in his voice. A wave of warmth and shock swept through me. Did Kakashi just express feelings? I was too stunned to talk.

"Let's take a break," he gestured his head to a clearing just next to a river.

Without waiting to know if I agree to it, he jumped sideways and ran towards the river. My eyes blinked multiple times. Was I dreaming again? I pinched my cheek. Nope, I'm still here. Kakashi's voice was normally emotionless but suddenly, it changed. What happened?

By the time I reached, Kakashi was not in sight but there were some fruits laid on top of a light blue cloth on the ground. Apples mostly and a few pine cones. Did Kakashi collect them? As in on cue, he appeared again with more apples and some kind of nuts and dropped them on the cloth.

He then walked towards the river and crouched. I could hear the sound of water splashing and slurp next. Again, his back was facing me so I couldn't see his face. I bit my lips, curious to know why did he come here. It wasn't the time to rest exactly.

I glanced down on the food. Did he do it for me? That's impossible, right? He's still pissed at me. He was already striding towards me gracefully by the time I looked up. He bent over, grabbed half of the portion and leaped to the tree nearby and sat, facing away from my direction.

My heart beat fast and I was kind of touched. Whether it's for me or for himself, I was just happy that he still has the heart to care. I sat down, took a red apple and bit onto the juicy apple. It was sour but at least it was fresh and can fill my stomach. I gobbled everything slowly and felt my hunger dissipated.

"Thanks," I said gently as I popped the last nut into my mouth and faced upward towards Kakashi. He was leaning on the trunk without his ANBU mask and his eyes were closed. I could hear steady breathing and assumed he was asleep.

I guess he's tired. We've been on the road for a while and slept for like an hour during every break. But something tells me that he didn't sleep at all. I wasn't sure how I know it but I just know it. It's like he was on guard against something but I wasn't sure what it was.

I got up from the ground and moved towards the river. The water was clear and sparkled under the sunlight. A few colourful fish swam by me in pairs down the river like lovers. It was a breathtaking sight.

I took off my mask, knelt down and scooped the liquid and splashed them on my face. Instantly, I felt awake and my mind was clearer. I reached for my empty bottles and plunged them into the water. As my hands focused on filling up the bottle, my head turned around and find Kakashi. He was still sleeping.

I heard the sound of branches being stepped on across the river and my head snapped forward. Opposite me were trees and bushes with no sign of life. The rustling noise of leaves came from the left and it was getting louder. I threw the bottles into my bag pack and stepped back a little, anticipating an enemy.

Kakashi immediately appeared next to me and I felt calmer. He had already put on his mask so I put mine too. We saw movement through the gaps between the trees and bushes. Something small and short ran by very fast, followed by a tall and dark figure chasing after it. They ran from right to left and disappeared from sight.

Then, a loud shouting came from far left and a brown rabbit emerged from the bushes and slid down the muddy ledge towards the river. For a rabbit, its movement was fast and its size is abnormally big. The tall figure clad in grey from nose to toe also came out from the forest and trailed behind the rabbit. He was chasing after the rabbit with a short sword in his hand.

That's a little extreme, isn't it? Is there a village here that is filled with people so hungry that they need to hunt for this rabbit? Okay, the size is huge but I don't think it's worth my time.

I whispered softly to Kakashi. "Let's just go. I don't think we should get involved." Kakashi just nodded his head but his eyes remained with the rabbit and man.

The rabbit was finally near the bank and jumped to the river. Instead of submerging into the water, it stood on the surface of the water. I was astonished. Can rabbits do that? Is that some kind of mystical creature or a summoned deity? The man on the other hand stumbled and fell into the water face down.

The rabbit took the opportunity to run off but it had a limp so it couldn't run as fast as it did earlier. Suddenly, it felt our presence and its head snapped towards our direction. One of its long ears stood still as it stared at us in curiosity. There was something reflected under the sunlight on its ear that I couldn't quite make out. The rabbit took a swift turn and hopped towards us. I guess its leg is too injured to run.

The man in grey had already regained his composure and continued his chase. However, his movement had become slower as he trudged in difficulty in the water. Thanks to that, the rabbit was able to distance itself from that man.

"Kakashi? Is it me overthinking or is that rabbit coming at us?" I asked as I took a step back.

He didn't reply and his hand reached for his kunai.

As the rabbit got closer, I began to notice its appearance. Its dark brown fur was dirtied by the mud from earlier. Its front white teeth poking out was noticeable even from the distance. Its long ears flapped around in the air. Then I caught the silver ring on its left ear. That actually looked familiar.

I raked my mind to remember when in the world have I seen it. The silver ring was circular and a small blue feather hung down it. It gleamed brightly under the sunlight. A picture of a face started to form itself in my head in a haze. I feel like I've seen it before on...

"Jikuro?!" I exclaimed.

Kakashi looked down at me. "You know the rabbit?"

"He's not a rabbit exactly. He's one of the scouts in my team," I explained as I hurried towards him and Kakashi followed me. "I think he's an expert in transformation jutsu. We're not supposed to know about each others' abilities in case we get captured and get tortured. The less we know, the less suffering it'll be. So I didn't know about Jikuro's ability. Well, until now."

Both Kakashi and I ran fast while summoning water jutsu onto our legs to step on top of the river. Jikuro continued hopping but I can feel he was in pain. Just as I was about to crouch down and grab Jikuro, Kakashi pulled me by my wrist aside in time as a fireball flew past my face. I stumbled onto his hard chest and couldn't help but blush. I quickly pushed him aside and then I got worried that he thought I was some kind of person that couldn't handle others' touch.

I looked up to explain but Kakashi was already running towards the man with Raikiri pulsing around his hand. Just before the man released another Gokakyu from his mouth, Kakashi thrust Raikiri into the man's chest. He fell onto the water surface on his back, the river was coloured red of blood and the man floated away.

I felt Jikuro's paw tapping on my feet and glanced down. I quickly wrap him into my arm as he trembled in fear.

"Jikuro?" I said softly as I gently brush his fur to calm him down. Slowly, the rabbit stop shaking and looked me with his brown eyes.

"It's okay, you can release your jutsu," I said and removed my mask to let him know it's me.

He turned towards Kakashi for a while and back at me. Kakashi was walking towards us with an expressionless face.

"You're safe. He's one of us," I convinced it. "Look, he's wearing the same gear as us."

Its twinkled eyes closed and I could feel chakra movement in the air. Smokes erupted in front of me and my hand felt heavy one moment and nothing next.

Just as the smokes dispersed, a cherry voice came with it. "Tsugie!"

I saw his chubby face first. Brown hair, brown eyes and a dumb grin with his earring dangling on his ear. Then his bare, broad shoulder and meaty chest. That's when I realized he wasn't wearing anything.

Before I know it, my fist was hurtling towards Jiroku's face and a loud piercing scream shot through the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

"AAAAAAAHH!" Jikuro's scream shot through the sky the moment I landed my punch on his face. Then I heard the sound of Jikuro stumbling into the water.

"WEAR YOUR CLOTHES, JIKURO!" I yelled frantically and use my hands to cover my eyes.

"Would you calm down? It's not like you've never seen a naked guy before," he exclaimed.

"Shut up! Wear your damn clothes, you idiot," I retorted.

"Fine, fine! I didn't release my jutsu right. Stop overreacting." Jikuro said and I felt chakra movement in the air. "Here, fully clothed. You can look at me now."

I opened my eyes cautiously, bracing myself in case he tricked me. He's quite the mischievous type after all.

Instead of seeing him, Kakashi was in front of me, shielding the idiot from me. My eyes widened and stared at the broad back of Kakashi. Is he preventing me from seeing Jikuro's body? I didn't have the time to react because Kakashi had already stood aside and revealed Jikuro in his wet ANBU gear, standing up with a limp with blood trailed down his nose.

I rushed towards him and when he walked, he staggered a little. Once I neared him, one of my hand was around his waist and the other on his chest. His arm circled over my shoulder for support.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I adjusted my body to handle his weight. He definitely needs a diet because he's way too chubby for an ANBU.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jikuro replied and my body felt heavier the moment he leaned in closer, obviously teasing me. "With you here, I'm always feeling great."

I rolled my eyes and control myself from pushing him back into the water. Instead, I propelled him to walk forward and he did but every step he took, he groaned in pain. My movement slowed down to make sure he can keep up with me. Both of us head towards the land, passing by Kakashi in his mask, observing us in silence.

"Who was that?" I asked as my head gestured towards the floating body in the midst of bloody water.

"One of Fuzen's people. I ran into this guy when I was searching for their stronghold."

Anger surged in me. "Didn't I ask all of you to be on standby and wait for my return?"

"You were late," he explained. "We didn't get any message from you. Nothing. I got worried that you were captured by the Enzai so I snooped around to make sure you weren't there."

My mouth shut immediately and felt guilty. "Sorry that I am late," I apologized.

Jikuro smiled warmly at me. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Anyway, did you find anything?"

"Nope. The guy found me in the grass and in the sudden panic, I transformed from a deer into a rat that might have raised his suspicion. Next thing I know, I was hopping around and found myself in your arm."

"Wait, how did you know he's one of Enzai's?"

"Noticed the sword he was chasing me with earlier? It was embedded with a very strong poison that was concocted by Fuzen himself. Only the Enzai has that poison. I recognized the scent from my last scouting."

I've heard of the poison. It's not exactly deadly but once it hits the certain nerve point of the body, it will paralyze the victim for days. This poison is unique because the person will still be able to talk. It will only bind the body from moving and the pain received will be twice as intense. There's no cure, only wait for the effect to wear off. The perfect interrogation gear.

I was lost in thought until Jikuro moved in closer to me.

"So, Tsugie, did you miss me?" he asked seductively.

Here's the problem with Jikuro. He has the tendency to flirt with girls a little too much. I'm not the only receiving end because he flirts with any girls that has a pulse. Kurenai hated him for his excessive flirting and had warned me repeatedly to stay away from him. Well, he's harmless so far so it didn't matter to me. After all, he's just fooling around and it meant nothing.

Suddenly, his hand on my shoulder shifted a little and twirled my hair with his finger. I lost my balance instantly and Jikuro almost fell down with me but luckily I got a hold of myself and both of us stood upright again.

I was normally okay with his flirtatious move but I wasn't in the mood for this right now especially with Kakashi trailing behind us so just when I was about to knock some sense into Jikuro's head, I felt him being pulled away from my grasp and he faltered to the side with pain in his voice. Before he falls down into the water, Kakashi held him by the collar of his shirt and made him stand straight. Kakashi then slung his hand over Jikuro's shoulder and Jikuro looked pissed.

I blushed at Kakashi's gesture. I wasn't sure what was going on but Kakashi seemed a little different since the order that day. I couldn't help but wonder if Kakashi had a second wind to start anew and learn to care again. Or was he just getting annoyed by Jikuro bugging me like this? But then again, it could have just been because of the order. That order, huh?

Without waiting for Jikuro's consent, Kakashi dragged him forward easily like the chubby guy weighed nothing, heading towards the land. I caught up to them and walked beside Jikuro.

"Ummm... Who is this?" Jikuro directed the question at me even though his focus was on Kakashi.

I paused a moment before replying him, worried about the outcome. "Hatake Kakashi," I replied softly and bit my lips.

Jikuro's head snapped towards me so suddenly it's a wonder his head didn't fly off. His eyes narrowed disapprovingly and I looked away in shame. We were finally on land and Kakashi guided him to sit on a trunk near where we ate earlier.

I was hoping that Jikuro wouldn't press me anything about Kakashi. However, Jikuro being his usual self wasn't about to let the whole thing go and opened his mouth, obviously trying to say something.

Before he could utter a word, I quickly turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, could you do me a favor and do a quick scan around the area and make sure that there's no one suspicious around?"

Kakashi nodded his head, ran towards the other side of the river and disappeared into the forest. As soon as I was sure that he was out of earshot, I turned to Jikuro who was fuming in anger. It's really rare to see the normally easygoing Jikuro to be pissed.

"Seriously? You brought Hatake Kakashi here? The Hatake Kakashi? The one guy we said not to bring here."

"Look, I can explain..."

"Damn it, Tsugie! That wasn't the plan," he exploded. "You were only supposed to go to Sandaime, get the mission and come back here alone. Not with White Fang's son."

"How many times have I repeated? White Fang has everything to do with Enzai. We need him here," I replied.

"No, we don't need him. He's the son, not the White Fang. You're the only person that wants him here. Tsugie, we have talked about this. What do you think the guys will think?"

I stared at the ground. "It's just..."

"I know why you did what you did. I understand it but we came to a conclusion after you were outvoted. Now, you went behind our back and brought the Friend-Killer Kakashi with you. We can't have him lurking around us. The chances of us being killed by him before Fuzen is even higher."

"He's not the Friend-Killer. There has to be something we don't know about Rin's death," I replied.

Jikuro opened his mouth to argue again but I cut him off. "I know what you're going to say but does it matter? He's here now on Sandaime's order. We can't ask him to go."

"Actually, we can. It's a matter of do you want to do it. You're the leader for this mission. If you want him gone, it can be done. It all comes down to can you do it?"

I gripped my fists. Should I? But I'm so close to bringing him to Village of Sora. It would be wasted if he just left. All I've done will be for nothing.

"I can't," I said weakly. "I'm really sorry."

He didn't say anything and just sighed. "Since he's already here, then we'll just let it be. I'm not going to say anything else on this matter."

I sat down beside him. "Could you do me one more favor? Don't reveal Kakashi's identity in front of the guys. If you're this angry about it, I think the rest of them might kill me."

"What makes you think they won't know it's him? His silver hair would have given him out."

"But you didn't know it was him until I told you his name. The rest of the team have never seen him before although he's infamous in ANBU. As long as Kakashi doesn't take off his mask, no one will know it's him. Please, Jikuro. Don't reveal his identity."

Jikuro looked into my eyes and we remained like that for quite a while before he broke his gaze. "Fine, do what you think is right. I'll keep my mouth shut but no promises."

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "I owe you one."

He looked away momentarily and then when he turned back to me, he already had a grin on his face. "All right, now, let's put the whole things aside. What say you deal with the fatal injury you've done to my pretty face?"

I gave him a grateful smile and start to dig into my bag pack for some first aid kit. I got up and crouched in front of him. I got out some cotton bud and a minty ointment I got from a shady store back in Konoha.

"Was it necessary to hit me like that in the first place?" Jikuro said as he winced when I dabbed some ointment on his nose with a cotton bud.

"I freaked out because you weren't wearing any clothes so it's your fault," I replied and adjusted my posture. "I didn't even realize I hit you until I heard you screaming like a girl."

"That was because you punched like a guy," he said and swung his fist forward. My hand jolted and almost poked him on his eye. He screamed again.

"Stop moving," I applied some pressure onto his wound and he yelped out loud.

"You did that on purpose!" he exclaimed then faked he was in a lot of pain.

"No, I didn't," I replied innocently and controlled myself from laughing. "Now, stop acting like an idiot and let me finish my work. I'm almost done."

He did as I told and sat rigidly on the stone. I leaned in closer to have a better look at his wound. It's going to turn blue-black tomorrow. He whispered something underneath his breath that I couldn't quite hear.

"What?" I asked.

"I.. You..." he stammered.

My head inched away from him curiously. "Just what in the world are you trying to say? Speak louder, man."

He was about to start but his focus shifted behind me. A cough came from above me and Kakashi stood beside me with two bottles in his hands. All I see were the eyes gazing down at both of us through the openings of his mask.

"There's no one around," he said and passed a bottle to Jikuro. Jikuro accepted it with a nod but he didn't smile.

"It seems their stronghold isn't here. It should be further south from here," Jikuro said and pointed towards the forest. "The guy I ran into could have just been some lackey doing some groundwork for Enzai, requiring him to operate outside of the stronghold."

"Now that Kakashi has killed him, will this alert Fuzen?" I asked as I worked on checking Jikuro's leg. Seemed to be just a sprain. I reached for the bandages in my bag and begun wrapping the swollen part.

"No, I highly doubt it. Fuzen is not known to be the type that will look out for his members. So I don't think he'll even realize one of his men is missing. He's got other things to worry about."

"We can't rely on that. There's a possibility that the other members may come looking for him. We need to bury the body and move away as soon as we can," Kakashi replied.

"I actually think that since we're here, we should use this opportunity and find the stronghold," Jikuro suggested. "We might be able to get some clue that will help us with our next tracking."

"No, we should leave now. With you being injured, there's no way we can operate in an efficient manner."

"I can still move quite alright. See," Jikuro stood up just when I was done with the treatment. But he lost his balance immediately and I had to steady him.

"Okay, looks like I can't help much after all. Then, how about both of you track down the stronghold while I return to the Village of Sora?"

"What do you think we should do?" Kakashi asked me.

I led Jikuro to sit down and thought about it. Both of them have good points. We're already so nearby, it would be wasted to walk away now but I'm worried about Jikuro being alone. Between all of us, Jikuro may be the weakest. No doubt that he's the best tracker but when it comes to fighting, I don't think he fits the shoes. Moreover, he's already injured so there's no way that he can defend himself if he gets attacked on the way back to Village of Sora.

Right then, I've made up my mind. "Kakashi, escort Jikuro to the village," I said and handed him a green scroll. "Show this to the rest of the members and wait for me. I'll track down the stronghold and be back tomorrow. Then we'll strategize our next move."

"No!" Jikuro exclaimed. "We can't let you go alone. Are you crazy? You're not a tracker."

"I'll be fine. As soon as I feel something is wrong, I'll run. I am the fastest runner of Konoha after all. Besides, I have Sei too. He's got a good nose. I'll get him to sniff that man and find the trail."

"You and I both know damn well that he hates you. He's not going to be much help in this, Tsugie. Why not let Hatake go instead? He's a better fighter than you."

"That's true but there's no other choice. You're injured and honestly, you're a little too heavy for me to carry all the way to Village of Sora. Kakashi demonstrated earlier that he can carry you easily."

Kakashi took a step forward and look at me. I held that gaze. "Are you sure about this? It's really dangerous."

I nodded my head in determination. "Kakashi, we can't let this opportunity slide. If Fuzen's man is nearby, it means that their hideout should be really close. If we can track down the stronghold now, we might have more time to prepare for our showdown with them."

"After I send him back, I'll come for you," Kakashi said.

Then, he bit his finger and the blood dripped on the ground. He weaved the summoning jutsu and smack his palm on the ground.

Smoke burst through our surroundings. Once the smoke dispersed, it revealed a brown dog in blue clothes with Konoha headgear. Its short tail wagged at us.

"You called for me, Kakashi?" he said.

He was really cute and I fight the urge to bend down and pinch its cheeks.

"Seems like your summoning is unreliable," Kakashi said to me. "Bring Pakkun with you. He's a good tracker and he can send us a message if you need us to get anything done."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked as I crouched down and patted Pakkun on his head.

"Of course," Pakkun replied. "I'm the best support one needs."

"Pakkun, take care of her," Kakashi said then knelt down beside me. "You better come back safely because I have my order to fulfill, Tsugie."

Even though he was acting according to the order, I was still happy. My heart leaped at him calling my name and blushed. Then Jikuro's voice broke the moment between us. "Hey, Tsugie. Come here."

I got up and walked towards Jikuro. "Your mind is made up so I'm not going to stop you but you need to come back, got it? Who else can I hug if you're not there? I can't stand to hug those guys."

I smiled. "Yeah, yeah, Jikuro. I'll be back. I promise."

"One hug for the road?"

"I'm just going to be gone for a while," I shrugged. He threw his arms wide open, waiting for a hug. I stepped into the hug hesitantly and he embraced me so tight that it was a wonder that my lung didn't burst apart. I managed to deliver my message though. "Remember to help Kakashi, okay?"

Then he let go and gave me a wide grin. I turned back to Kakashi and he was engaged in a talk with Pakkun.

"Shall we go, Pakkun?" I said.

"Okay, just let me get a smell of that guy first," he said and ran on the water towards the floating body.

"See you, Tsugie," Kakashi said. "Don't die."

"I won't," I said. "See you, Kakashi."

And I ran towards Pakkun, leaving both of them behind.


	5. Chapter 5

At the entrance of the Forest of Death, it was dark and cold. The wind howled loudly and I shivered everytime the breeze touch my skin. It felt eerie and ghastly here.

"TSUGIE!"

I was staring into the hollow eyes of a dark figure with its mouth gaping open. My body was completely paralysed and I tried to scream but my voice was caught in my throat. There was nothing I could do.

The dark figure's skinny hand reached out for me and slowly, the distance between us became closer. I was panicking but at the same time, I felt a familiar presence from it.

It didn't say anything but its hand kept nearing my face. My body felt heavy and hot with my heart beating at an abnormal rate. Then the cold hand enclosed its grasp on my neck.

The hand just laid on my neck, doing nothing but it felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, the black figure's face starts to form, with features filling hair was short and curled. The brown eyes were staring back at me, her nose twitched and the lips pursed like how she used to do whenever she felt nervous. Her cheeks flushed red with warmth.

"Kana?" The only word that I manage to blurt out softly. The lips stretched to a forced grin. Then the hand on my neck tightened. I was suffocating and my body was lifted from the ground. My legs kicked out in panic and my feelings sunk in fear. My mind was empty and I didn't know what to do.

All I could do was stare at Kana as she continued to smile eerily at me. Then, she cried. Tears flowed down and her grin turned into gritted teeth.

"Tsugie, I'm so sorry," she said. "Please, help me."

Help? Why does Kana need my help? What's going on? The grip on my neck tightened and I could feel my mind blacking out. My sights became blur and I could feel that I was going to die.

"Tsugie!" A warm voice called out to me from behind. Then another voice. "Tsugie!"

More voices joined in. "Tsugie!"

Kana's face became sad and then a crack formed on her forehead. The crack stretched out to her entire face, her body and then her arm.

_Piang_

She shattered like glass and her remaining was blown away by the wind. I fell on the ground on my back. I gasped as soon as I feel my neck was free, desperate for air. The air rushed into my lungs quickly and I feel life breathed back into me. My eyesight became clear and my body could finally move. The night sky clouded the stars and moon.

The cloudy sky ahead of me was replaced by silver hair and brown eyes with a mask covering his face momentarily.

"Hey. Are you okay?" His voice was gentle and it enveloped my whole being. I felt safe was Kakashi.

"Y-," the word got caught in my throat so I had to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Kakashi's then helped me to sit up. "What happened?" he asked with concern.

My eyes shifted to the Forest of Death, unsure of what to say. Just when I was about to tell him, I heard footsteps running towards us with voices shouting. "Tsugie! Kakashi!"

Soon, I was surrounded by everyone. Kurenai, Azuma, Guy, Rin, Obito and Genma. They all looked down at me in concern.

Kurenai knelt beside me and held my hand in hers. "Tsugie! What's wrong? Why are you laying on the ground?"

"K-Kana," I trembled. "Kana was here. She dropped me on the ground."

No one said anything as they continued to stare at me like I was weird. Even the usual noisy Guy and Obito kept quiet.

"But there's no one around here," Azuma's eyes swept around. "Wait, could it be-?"

Kurenai gave him a stern look and he clamped his mouth. Then she turned back to me and tightened her grip on my hand. "Look, I know you're still not getting over her. You just need some time."

"That's not it," I defended myself as I withdrew my hand from hers. "I saw her. She was here. She was smiling then she cried and she asked me to help her."

"Tsugie, you're just thinking too much," Azuma said as he crouched beside Kurenai. "Those stories I told you earlier must have gotten into your head. I'm sorry."

"No, it was true. I saw her. She was here," I shrugged off Kakashi's hand on my back and jumped up. Everyone jolted except Kakashi that continued to observe in silence.

"Okay, okay," Kurenai said as she got up and approached me cautiously. "She was here. We saw her too."

"I think I saw her just now too," Obito said. "Right, Rin?"

"Y-Yeah. She was standing right here," she gestured to the empty space behind her.

Guy and Genma nodded their head in agreement. But I knew they were lying. It could see it in all of their eyes. It was a look that I was too familiar with.

Sympathy. I received that look for years and I hated it.

Everyone thought I was going through depression ever since Kana's passing. They felt I was hanging onto someone that can never come back to me. They felt I've changed.

It's true that I had became withdrawn and reserved but I was still the same person. Even after two years have passed, they still treated me like a fragile glass, on the verge of breaking with a single touch. They were willing to lie just to protect my feelings and I've hated it.

"Come on, Tsugie. Let's just go home now," Kurenai reached for me but I stepped back and glared at her.

"You think I'm lying. You think I'm crazy." I screamed with tears in my eyes. "You all don't trust me!"

"Calm down. It's not that we don't trust you. It's because we're just worried about you," Kurenai crept slowly towards me. "Why would she need your help? She's gone, Tsugie."

"I-I don't know. I just know she was here and she talked to me. Maybe something happened and she could be stuck in this place. Maybe she didn't go peacefully. Maybe she came back alive."

Everyone stared. Okay, now I do sound like an insane person. Even I know it but what if it's true? There has to be a reason why she came to me. It has to be, right? It can't be just a hallucination.

"Tsugie...," Kurenai trailed off, searching for the right words.

"I'm sorry," I said, holding back my tears. "I need to go."

I turned around and ran. Nobody came after me. I just kept running, passing the village, running through the haze of people backing away from me. They have no face but their head turned towards my direction so I knew they were looking at me.

Finally, I reached home. I yelled out for my mother and father in the living room as soon as I opened the door entrance. There was no reply.

Then the room materialised into my bedroom and suddenly I was in bed unknowingly, hiding underneath the blanket.

Why was I hiding? How did I get here? There was a resounding voice around me in the room suddenly. It was soft and inaudible at first then slowly, it became louder but I still couldn't quite capture the words.

"Ts... Tsu.., Tsugi..." It was calling for me. She's calling for me. "Tsugie... Tsugie..."

As the voice kept repeating my name, I could feel the blanket slowly being pulled away from me. I was scared, too scared to know what will happen as soon the blanket uncovers itself. I held on to the blanket as hard as I can but the opposing force was too strong. As the blanket kept slipping away from me, the voice became more desperate, playful and louder.

"Tsugie, Tsugie, Tsugie, Tsugie, Tsugie..."

Then the cloth I was holding onto with my life was yanked roughly from me and I braced myself for the scariest thing that could appear in front of me. All I saw was the empty white ceiling in the dark and the voice was replaced by the ticking clock.

Then suddenly, a black figure was on top of me and pressing me down. It was her. She opened her mouth and a deep, rough voice called me. "TSUGIE! WAKE UP!"

"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed awake and looked around. I was surrounded by trees in the night. I was panting and my heart was thumping frantically. I shivered and it wasn't just because of the cold air.

"Tsugie, wake up!" It was a rough voice from the dream. "Hey. Wake up. Are you okay?"

It was Pakkun. His paw was on my shoulder, nudging me.

Damn it. Not again. The nightmare is visiting me way too often recently.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Just a bad dream," I said and brush my hair aside. I looked around the surroundings and remembered why I was here "Crap, do you think they heard it?"

"No, I don't think so. I don't smell anything in the air," he said as he glanced around with his nose twitching. Then he turned back to me as his ears flapped with the wind. "What did you dream about?"

"It's- It's nothing," I wrapped myself with my arms to stop the shivering. Slowly, I felt better. "I'm fine."

Pakkun stared up at me with its brown eyes. "Kakashi said you had bad dreams. Told me to keep a lookout for you and wake you up if it gets too intense. How are you feeling now?"

Kakashi felt it? Was it that obvious? I thought he wouldn't even notice or pay attention to me. Come to think of it, I was jolted awake by something for the past few days when I traveled with Kakashi. Was Kakashi throwing stone at me or using Jutsu to nudge me awake? I feel warm just thinking about it. "Yeah, I'm really okay. Thank you, Pakkun."

"Have you rested enough?"

I glanced towards the misty forest ahead of us. It was gloomy and there's already dead aura in the air. The wilted trees were everywhere and dried twigs scattered the ground. It was completely different from where Pakkun and I are at. At least there are lives breathed here and the grass was green with blooming trees.

It was like a different border just ahead. Just what did the Enzai did here to make it like this? I'm assuming whatever the Enzai are doing there, it has a limitation to the area it can spread. More importantly, it reminded me of the Forest of Death.

As soon as Pakkun and I found another fresh trail outside the misty forest, we were already exhausted. He suggested taking a quick break to get back our strength because we weren't sure what we'll face and what will happen when we found the stronghold. We'll need all the energy we can get.

"How long was I sleeping?" I asked weakly.

"About an hour. I think we may need to resume our track soon before the trail turns cold."

I tried to stand up but my body was still weak and shook with fear. "I'm sorry, Pakkun. Do you mind to give me a few more minutes to collect myself?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Anything I could do to help you to feel better?"

"No, I'm really fine. Don't worry about it,"

He paused a while and raised his right paw, showcasing the doggy pink pads. "Here, I'll let you touch my paw."

"Excuse me?" I asked astonishingly.

"Go on, you'll feel better. My pads are really soft."

He held his paw in the air and it felt awkward as he hung it there. I inched closer to him hesitantly and as soon as I softly pressed its paws, my mood lit up.

"See, I told you," he said as I grabbed his left paw and pressed the pads simultaneously.

"Hehe. It is kind of comforting and soothing. I wonder if Sei would allow me to do this too."

"Sei? You mean your summon?"

"Yeah," I explained and smiled. "He's a very big wolf. So I wonder if his big paws could be different than yours. Are the paws of dogs and wolves alike in any way?"

"First of all, my paws are the softest among all. Second, we dogs are different from wolves so we would appreciate it if you don't compare us."

"Sounds like you don't like the wolves. Any reason?" I asked curiously and let him go. Pakkun sat down and glanced at me.

"Our village is just next to each other and our ancestors have been in a war for centuries. But in recent years, we were close to putting the war to a stop but the good for nothing wolves betrayed our trust and we were back to square one."

"Really? What happened?"

"Their former ruler hand over the reign to the current rulers, the Muroku clan which had turned around and stabbed us in the back. They waged war against us again and everything fell apart. Since then, we stayed away from them and broke any connection with them."

I kept quiet and frowned. I didn't know that summons have such issues going on. I wonder if this is the reason Sei is so upright and haughty every time I summoned him. Even though I've known Sei for years, he barely told me anything about himself even when I asked.

"I didn't know that," I said and leaned against the tree. "That must have been hard."

"That's the way it has been for years and we've accepted it," he scratched his right ear with its leg. "We can only hope the Muroku clan will step down and the previous clan will come back."

"Why did the previous clan stepped down in the first place?"

"Well, it's because-," Pakkun stopped abruptly and its head whipped around. He sensed something. I quickly got up and prepared myself for any sudden attack.

"We should go," he urged with a low whisper and without waiting for any reply, he ran towards the mist.

And I sprinted behind him into the forest, reminding me of the venture into the Forest of Death from the past.


	6. Chapter 6

Two masked men stood outside the entrance, looking left and right cautiously. They were paroling around the old fort, somewhat small and ready to crumble into nothingness. I wondered why did Enzai choose this place in the first place? Is it because it's in the middle of nowhere with the mist surrounding it? But these mist, they felt a little too inconsistent and not at all-natural. Man-made mist. Knowing Fuzen's style, he must have used some kind of toxic and pumped it all over the vicinity. That could explain the whole reason why there's no animal here within the radius and everything seems dead. Long exposure to this will mean death so there is a chance that Fuzen's men are taking antidotes to stay alive. Well, luckily, we have our masks on.

"Hey, should we leave? We've finally found their stronghold. Let's get out and reunite with Kakashi," Pakkkun's muffled voice rang through his mask. I've taken his blue shirt and made it into a decent mask over his face. "They might catch us if we don't leave now."

"Wait, not yet. I'm sure we can get more intel," I replied softly. We were hiding behind a few boulders and luckily there were some gaps in between of the holes for us to peep through.

My eyes continued to scan across the surroundings and finally landed on the only watchtower on the far end of the fort. I took out my binoculars to have a closer look. There was no wall enclosing the tower. A big man in grey relaxed there and seems to be oblivious to his surroundings as his eyes glued to the magazines in his hands. He had his legs propped up on top of a table lined with a black, another person in black appeared and handed him a cup and left. That guard then took a quick sip from the cup before setting it back down on the table and turned his attention back to the magazine.

An idea popped into my head and I turned to Pakkun. "Hey, I have an idea. Help me."

...

"Arf, arf," Pakkun barked beside me and the two men at the entrance turned towards our direction.

"What was that?" one of the men in black asked. "Is that a dog?"

"No way. There can't be any dogs around here," his mate replied. "They wouldn't be able to handle the air."

Pakkun continued barking and his voice gradually becoming louder but luckily, not loud enough to capture the attention of the guy in the watchtower. The two men began approaching towards us and as soon as they were close enough, Pakkun emerged from the boulders and raced off towards the other direction, away from me.

"That's a dog! It's a dog!" one of the men shouted. "Capture him. We might get a reward from Fuzen-sama."

Both of them chased after Pakkun and once I was sure they were far enough, I sped off towards the watchtower, all the while keeping my eye on the guard. He was still relaxing. Good, it means I should be able to make it.

I summoned chakra onto my legs and ran up the tower as swiftly and silently as possible. My hands grasped the edge of the wooden floor and I peered cautiously over the board. The guy was still oblivious to my presence as his face was covered by the magazine. I pushed myself upwards onto the floor and inched towards the table.

I reached for a packet of sleeping medicine in my pack, arm raised towards the table and immediately dabbed the powder into the cup. Then, I hid under the table, behind the cloth and pierced a small eyehole facing the outside.

I searched for Pakkun until I caught the side of him. He disappeared into the forest without looking back just as we have discussed. The men scowled and decided to give up as they returned to their post.

There was movement from the table above and I finally heard the sweet sound of Thud.

The man collapsed just next to me and has already been knocked out. I guess it worked. The medicine should take him out for at least an hour. I have more than enough time to do the scouting.

With that, I dragged him underneath the table and make sure the tablecloth was able to hide his being.

I weaved my jutsu and poof, I impersonated the guard. Now, then. It's time to begin. I stood up and glanced down at the inside of the fort.

Unlike the misty outside, the inside of the fortress had no mist so I guessed there's no poison here then. I took out an empty scroll and ink brush. I spread them on the table and begun drawing the layout of the fortress.

There were huts everywhere and people coming in and out. In their hands were food, equipment and bottles of chemicals. The biggest hut stood in the far end of the fort and it's in between two smaller huts. But inside those huts, I don't have any idea what dwells inside.

There were about 30 people in the fortress. Only a few of them had weapons in their hands that stood guard so I assumed that the security here should be quite lax. The only place that has more guards was the big hut. That hut is either Fuzen's hut or contained something important.

Based on the way the Enzai people are all over the place and walking around without any worries, there shouldn't be any trap unless they have actually memorised exactly the spot where the traps are. I made sure to trace the commonplace that they stepped on the map.

The well stood in the middle and a few

lifeless bodies laid around it. Some of them had ninja headgear and I knew immediately, those were our fellow shinobi. From the looks of it, they were tortured to death.

My hands gripped the ink brush and I fought the urge to fly down and fight my way to retrieve those bodies and give them a proper burial. It's not the right time yet. I'm sorry I can't get to you guys now. Please wait. I promise I'll be back.

I snapped back to my surroundings. There wasn't anything else impressive. Guess that I should go now. I've asked Pakkun to go back to the Village of Sora to inform Kakashi and the others about the location of the fortress. If I do I get captured, at least our plan to infiltrate the fortress will still work.

I packed my stuff and bent over to drag the sleeping guard out. But suddenly, I heard footsteps nearby and I jumped up, braced myself for any attack.

"Hey, Sotan," a voice called out and a man emerged into view. He didn't have any shirt on and wore a long, black pants with torn holes. He had a tall, slim and tan body with a sun tattoo on his left chest. His hair was unkempt and stood all over the place. He looked like he could be just a few years older than me.

When our eyes met, he gazed me curiously as though he's trying to figure out something. Damn it. Did my transformation jutsu fail?

"You're different today, Sotan. What did you do?" he asked as his eyes narrowed.

Worried about my voice might be off, I shook my head.

He didn't let his guard down as he peered cautiously around the place. My heartbeat quickened and begun to worry that I might get caught now. I might need to take him down.

Then he snapped his finger. "That's it! That's because you're standing up for once. I don't think I've seen you on two feet before unless you're up to the toilet or find food. You're actually doing none of those."

I made a gesture of stretching and he accepted it with a nod.

"Anyway, I'm just here to vent. My idea about penetrating into the Village of Sora was rejected. I suggested to burn down the village and kidnap all the villagers to become our slaves instead of killing them. You know what that idiot said?"

He waited for my reply but I was still worried he might know who I really am so I just shrugged.

"Not good enough! Let me tell you. There's no pleasing this man. All he wants is to use this stupid mist and these poisons he has. He rather keeps them suffocating than ending their lives faster."

I don't know who's this guy but he's feeding me information on their plan to infiltrate Village of Sora. Now that we know their plan on using the mist, we might be able to create a barrier around the village.

"Imagine this. You take one of the villagers and hang his body to dry as a display to the rest of the villagers. Can you visualise how scared they'll be? They'll be begging to join us and we can use them to gather the materials instead of exposing our people to the toxin in the mine. Once they are all worn out, we can just kill them and find a new village."

My throat dried up and my stomach churned. Fuzen didn't just poison the environment, he has poisoned his underlings' mind too. This guy right here is exhibit A. I wonder who this guy could be since he can pitch his ideas on terrorising the village. Maybe one of Fuzen's commander?

"Someday, I'm going to take over his place and rule the right way," he continued. "That idiot father of mine is doing it all wrong and tarnishing the Fuzen's name. What do you think, Sotan? Do you think I can dethrone him and carry on the Fuzen's name with pride?"

My body's turned cold as realization struck me. Oh my god. This isn't just one of Fuzen's lackeys. This is really bad. Not only is he a cruel and merciless guy, but he's actually Fuzen's son. How was he under our radar all these times? I can't believe it. We've been letting a psychopath running around. In fact, Fuzen felt pale in comparison.

I need to kill him. Killing him can make our plan less complicated and removing the wild card. Now would be the best since both of us are alone. But, can I kill him? My gut feeling tells me he's strong and I might not be able to handle him. Something needs to be done but what? My head starts to formulate some plans and think of all the outcomes.

If I kill him quietly and leave now, it might alert the Enzai and Fuzen might abandon his fortress and escape elsewhere where he can't be reached. Then we can't eliminate him and his men in one go. Our plan will be going down the drain then.

If I let Fuzen Junior go now and kill him during our next encounter instead, our plan will be safe but we are risking additional manpower on their side and a psychopath on the loose. What if we can't deal with him then?

Damn it. What should I do? I need to make the call as the leader.

"Hey, so what do you think? Think I can take down the old man?" he asked.

As I stared into his eyes, I've made my decision. I can't risk all of our hard works. I'll deal with him another day. As I was about to answer his question, a snore rang loudly across the room.

Fuzen Junior's head snapped towards the table and a hand suddenly appeared through the tablecloth.

"What the-? Who's underneath the table?" he asked. Before I can react, he was already crouching down and lifted the tablecloth and his eyes widen.

Damn it! I've been exposed.

I weaved my jutsu and created a sound barrier using wind element around the watchtower. Any noise generated here will not be transmitted out of the barrier around us.

I reached for my kunai and lunged at him. He was taken by surprise for a while but avoided me in time. "Oi, who the hell are you?"

I kept dashing towards him and end up slicing the air instead. Damn it. He's fast. I weaved jutsu and hurled hundreds of wind daggers at him. He still managed to evade the attack but his cheek was slashed mildly.

I continued my wind attacks but he avoided them. Frustrated, I weaved another jutsu and big droplets of water floated in the air. Then they formed into balls and flew towards Fuzen Junior.

He grabbed a long wooden board nearby and with mere strength, swatted the water balls away effortlessly. Then he smiled cruelly. "You're not Sotan. You're a shinobi."

Suddenly, he switched from defensive to offensive mode. He came at me and as I was about to sidestep him, I bumped into the table and my movement was disrupted. Damn it. This place is too cramped. I lost my balance then.

Fuzen Junior's hand circled around my neck and lifted me off the ground. He slammed my back at the wall and darkness seeped into my eyes but I fought it off. I can't be knocked out now but I lost control of my transformation jutsu and I was back to normal with my face exposed.

"My, my, my," he teased. "Not just a shinobi, but a kunoichi too. I'm a lucky man, aren't I?"

My hands enclosed his hand on me and tried to pry them off but he was too strong. I dug my nails deeply into his hand, drawing blood but his hold never loosen.

Instead, he stared amusingly at me. "We have a feisty one here, don't we? And a looker too!"

His free hand slid across my cheek and I shuddered, disgusted by his touch.

"So, kunoichi, tell me. What are you doing here?"

I concentrate all my energy on my right leg and kicked him in the shin. A loud crack rang across the barrier and I know I broke his bone. He yelped with pain and let go of me as he fell to the ground, clutching his leg.

I collected myself and reached for another kunai. I plunged the kunai at his heart as he continued to wring on the ground. But he caught my wrist in time and with a huff, he threw me on the ground next to him and he straddled on top of me.

Oh no. This is bad. With all of his weight on me, there's no way I can push him off. He pinned both of my arms to the side so I was completely immobile now.

With yet another amused tone and a tinge of pain, he said. "You're really interesting, kunoichi. For a girl, you sure can hit hard."

I continued struggling against him and his face leaned closer to mine. He licked his lips evilly. "Now, answer my question. Why are you here?"

I shot him a cold look but kept quiet. He still doesn't know my linkage to Konoha and why I was here. So as long as I keep quiet and even if I die here, our plan will still be intact. Pakkun should already be on its way to the Village of Sora to alert Kakashi and the others. All I have to do is lie to throw him off. The guys will know what to do from there onwards.

"I've come to murder Fuzen. He's the reason my parents are dead!" I shouted and faked my tone in rage. "And you! The son of the man who took everything away from me. You should suffer too!"

I tried to use my legs to kick him in his nether region but he was fast. He let go of my left hand and reached for my leg then I could no longer feel my legs. It felt... numb. I don't know what he did but it was effective.

"Ah, another avenger," he replied and his smile widen. "Well, kunoichi, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I still have many things to accomplish after all. Instead, how about you and I cooperate?"

Wait, what? Cooperate? What the hell does that mean? Before he can continue with his speech, his face frowned suddenly and immediately, he was flung backward and slammed into the wall far side of the room.

A figure in black with silver hair stood tall in front of me with his back facing me.

Kakashi is here.


	7. Chapter 7

Kakashi stood tall in front of me with kunai in his right hand. His silver hair wavered with the wind. He wasn't wearing his ANBU gear for which I'm thankful for because we might end up exposing ourselves as Konoha shinobi. His usual headband hid away his Sharingan which is another good thing for us.

Fuzen Junior was on the floor, covered in debris and rubbles. He didn't move at first then I saw his hand twitch. I tried to stand up, hoping to grab Kakashi and escape from this place but I still can't feel my legs. Just what in the world did Fuzen Junior do to me?

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I propped myself up and leaned against the wall just behind me. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Here to get you. Let's go," Kakashi said as his attention focus ahead, bracing himself for any sudden attack.

A part of me was shocked and ashamed that he came to my rescue but another part was relieved that he is here.

"Come on, get up," Kakashi said as he inched closer towards me while maintaining his attack stance.

"I can't. You need to leave yourself," I replied as I tried to move my legs but it was useless.

Kakashi whirled around and knelt down in front of me. "What's wrong? Where are you hurt?" His eyes scanned me from top to bottom, probably looking for any signs of injuries.

"I can't feel my legs," I replied as I pointed towards my legs. Kakashi's hand was immediately on my legs in the moment. He massaged them but unfortunately I still couldn't feel anything.

A groan made my head snapped towards Fuzen Junior as he got up from the floor and dusted himself off.

"Now, now. Don't be in such a rush. You haven't even listen to my proposition yet. At least give me a chance," Fuzen Junior said as he walked towards us with a wicked grin.

How is he not injured? Kakashi literally threw him across the room with full force. The wall was already cracked from the crash and yet, Fuzen Junior continued to strode towards us as though nothing happened.

Damn it. We need to get out of here before both of us are captured and ruined the whole plan. I slipped the map that I have drawn earlier into Kakashi's hand and whispered softly, "This is the map of the fortress. Take it back to Village of Sora and tell the rest of the teams to move on with the plan as discussed."

Kakashi looked at me disapprovingly and pushed the scroll back into my hands. "Do it yourself," he said and while still crouching, he turned his back towards me. "Wrap your arms around my neck."

Kakashi was offering me a piggy back ride. Under any normal circumstances, I would instantly jump at the chances to be able to feel Kakashi's back but this is not the time. With my added weight on him, Kakashi wouldn't be able to escape from this fortress safely.

"No, I'll only slow you down. Please."

"You're just wasting every second to have this conversation. I'm not gonna leave you here alone and if we have to die, we'll die together then," Kakashi said as his arms extended towards me, ready to carry me. "Get on. Now."

His command was fierce and on reflex, my hands were enclosed around his neck and he wrapped his arm around my thigh. Without breaking a sweat, he stood upright effortlessly and moved away from the approaching Fuzen Junior.

"Hey, come on. Don't leave yet," Fuzen Junior said. "We have something in common. Let's talk this through."

What is it that he's actually trying to offer? I get the feeling that he's plotting something unspeakable. Before I can answer, we heard footsteps running up the stairs from the outside. Damn it. My sound barrier is down.

"Hey, Sotan! What's wrong? Are you okay?" a man's voice shouted.

Fuzen Junior's eyes caught mine and his smile widen. We were going to get exposed and there's nothing we can do to stop it now. All we've done are going down the drain and it's all my fault. Why didn't I run away when I had the chance?

Kakashi was already moving towards the side I crept in from but there wasn't enough time for us to disappear. I could feel my hope fading with each footstep thumping louder towards us. Right then, Fuzen Junior took a sharp turn towards the entrance and leaned out.

"Nothing. Don't come up here," he shouted. "I'm just sparring with Sotan to give him some pointers. Leave us alone."

"Oh, it's just Kinji-sama. Sorry for disturbing you," the man outside said and slowly, his footsteps became further away until it faded into nothing.

When Fuzen Ju-, no, Kinji turned around, he was smirking. "Now, can we talk? I just saved your asses." he pulled the chair out and sat across us.

I stared at him with curiosity. It's true that he did save us but God knows what he'll do as soon as we turn our back. On the other hand, he seemed really persistent about talking to us and also kept acting as though we could work together. He also hasn't attack us so maybe he's sincere? But should I even listen to a psychopath and the son of the killer?

Kakashi's hold on me never loosen so I'm guessing he's not letting his guard down and he was already in his running stance, ready to bolt anytime. Right then, I felt his muscle movement like he was about to swirled around but before I know it, my mouth opened.

"What do you want?" I asked and regretted immediately. Kakashi stopped whatever he was attempting earlier and I heard a grunt from him. What am I doing? We're supposed to escape, not chit-chatting with the enemy.

"Ah, finally," Kinji clapped his hands two times joyfully. "Please, sit down then we can talk."

Kakashi replied with a voice so cold that stroke fear to every single part of my being. "No. Just tell us whatever it is that you want to say."

Kinji's laid into his seat calmly. "At first, I just wanted some help from the kunoichi over there but it looks like she's not just a regular kunoichi. Both of you are from the Hidden Village of Konoha, aren't you?"

My world come tumbling down. He found out. How? How did he know?

"Oi, calm down. You're gripping on my shoulder too hard." Kakashi whispered softly. I didn't even realised what I was doing but sure enough, my nails were digging into his flesh and it's a wonder I didn't draw any blood from it. I quickly loosen my hold on him.

"We're rogues, no longer have connection to Konoha," I replied Kinji calmly.

Kinji shook his finger and gestured it in a way like we were liars. "Tsk, tsk. White Fang, there's no way such a great shinobi as you would ever turn your back on Konoha."

The room was quiet immediately in that moment. Everyone including the enemies knew who Sakumo-sama was based on his silver hair which Kakashi had also inherited. I wonder if Kakashi was always regarded as White Fang by mistake from time to time. More importantly, was the Enzai organisation not aware that Sakuko-sama has already passed away?

"I'm not White Fang," Kakashi replied and I could hear a lace of anger wrapped around his tone.

"Come on, look at that silver hair of yours. I would have recognised it anywhere. Aren't you here to get revenge on my father, the man that wiped out almost all of your subordinates during your last mission?"

"Your father?"

"Fuzen Seiho."

Kakashi's body instantly tensed up. He was meeting the son of the man whom was the reason his father had to commit suicide. This was the very moment when I felt like I have done everything wrong. The guys were right. I should never have bring Kakashi into the mission. This was just too much.

"There. That's the reaction I was looking for. Look at that eye. The eye that is brimming with anger and fury. So exciting," Kinji's smile widen eerily.

I couldn't find the right words to say or stop the guilt from eating its way through me. All I want to do is to kneel down on the ground and apologise to Kakashi over and over again.

Kakashi shifted his posture and I was jolted upwards. Is he about to attack Kinji? No, he just remained silent and exchange glances with the man that continued to smile like he owned the world.

"Now, I'm willing to offer you a way to get your revenge. Revenge for your subordinates. So how about it? Would you like to work with me?" Kinji asked. "You and I have the same objective which is the death of Fuzen Seiho."

"Wait," I was in shocked upon hearing those words. "Are you telling us that you're staging a murder on your very own father?"

"Yes, he needs to die," Kinji replied and there wasn't a tinge of humour in his eyes. "His methods are too outdated and his mind is too stuck on his own way to the point he doesn't listen to others anymore. Enzai needs a new leader and I am the best person for it. However, if I were to overthrow my father myself, the underlings will no longer follow me. That's why, I would rather entrust this task to the shinobi. Death by me will trigger an uproar but death by outsiders will just be our loss."

I couldn't believe it. This can't be real, right? He's truly a psychopath with no morale that's willing to kill his very own father to get whatever it is that he wants. Too merciless for the world. We can't let this man walk away alive. I would put this man on the top of my hit list even before Fuzen.

Kinji's eyes met mine this time. "I know what you're thinking, kunoichi. You're thinking I'm even more dangerous than my father, don't you? You think I should die instead, aren't you? You're wrong. He's a bigger threat because at least I do things for a reason. My father? He's doing it for the sake of doing. He has no objective. He's just killing because he loves the sensation and the thrill of someone's life fading in front of him. Do you have any idea how many men has he killed over the years for no reason?"

Then he turned back to Kakashi. "You, you were so close to ending him but you hesitated because you chose to save your subordinates over your mission. You could have done me a great favour all those years ago. Do you have any idea how many men did he kill and those bloods are now on your hand? Because you hesitated. I wouldn't have done what you did."

It was exactly those kind of words that has led to the death of Kakashi's father. And that's when I snapped. "Shut up! Sakumo-sama was a noble man. He did the right thing. Don't you dare to put the blame on him for what your murderous father did. Sakumo-sama saved people's lives. Don't make it sound like you're so noble. You're still a killer whether if you have an objective or not."

"Then what about you, kunoichi? All those mission you took. Are you telling me you've not taken anyone's life before?"

I bit my lips. He's right. I'm as much of a killer as he is. I'm an assassin after all. But I wasn't like Fuzen or his son. I chose the path of an ANBU because I truly believe we have our own roles in supporting Konoha.

"We kill because of people like you exist. You're killing innocent lives. The Enzai targets village and massacre everyone in it and for what? Just now you told me you wanted to enslave these villagers. What's the purpose of doing so? Why them?" I demanded. "They are not part of your world and yet, you insist on dragging them into it."

"Manpower. At least I wasn't killing them. I might take the life of one or two. Just to show the rest who's in charge."

"And what makes you think after what you've told us, we're even going to cooperate with you?"

"I'm pretty sure White Fang here knows how cunning and sly my father is. If you were to face him again, it's not going to be easy anymore because he knows the tricks up your sleeves and believe me, he has quite a few new ones himself. You'll need me because I'm your best bet. I can lead him to a designated place alone and from there, you guys take over. It's a win-win situation. I get him out of my hair and you can accomplish your mission. See, win-win."

I hesitated. It actually wasn't completely a bad idea. Honestly I've been worried a lot lately regarding on our plan. Sakumo-sama wasn't able to deal with Fuzen and he's one of the greatest shinobi in history. What chances do me and my teammates have against them? We have a plan and the element of surprise but it just wasn't enough. Looking at Kinji, we might be able to triumph. However, I wasn't going to make it easy for him. I wanted to see how desperate he wants our help.

"No," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to leave the people from the Village of Sora alone too. We deal with your problem, you leave the innocent alone. From then onwards, you must never approach the Village of Sora."

Kinji stood up and wagged his finger. "That's not right. I'm sacrificing more than you."

"You'll just have to deal with that then. If you still plan to terrorise the village, then we won't give you any help. You can expose us if you want to but we can do the same back towards you. Imagine what Fuzen and his men will do to you if they find out you're planning to murder your own father."

He paused for a while and seemed to be deep in thoughts. Then after a moment, he glanced at me. "Deal then."

"Hold on. One more thing. Why should we trust you? How can you guarantee you're not just going to lead us into a trap?"

"You'll just have to trust my hatred towards my father then. Besides, despite my villainous nature, I've never gone back on my words or break any promise before. So, what do you say?"

The whole time, Kakashi just observed in silence during my conversation with Kinji. I wasn't sure what he has thinking. Will it be cruel of me to work with the son of the man that's the cause of Sakumo-sama's death?

My head spun with all the possibilities of working with Kinji. If we walk away now, he would just turn around and alert his people about our infiltration. The chance of killing him is relatively low because of my immobile legs and I'm pretty sure Kakashi wouldn't just drop me on the ground to fight him. There's a chance that he will use me as a hostage and Kakashi might hesitate to attack. Might. I instantly thought of Rin and shook the thoughts away.

Softly, I whispered into Kakashi's ear. "What do you think?"

He kept quiet for quite a while before responding. "Let's focus on getting the both of us out of here alive first."

With that said, I turned to Kinji and nodded. "We're in."


End file.
